Speaking A Dead Language
by WonderTwinsUnite
Summary: She had to admit to herself that she was afraid of the one person in the world that she loved more than anything. Post-Season Finale. Jane/Maura.
1. One

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 1/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** She had to admit to herself that she was afraid of the one person in the world that she loved more than anything.  
**A/N:** This is my (Chedders; Maura Twin) brain child. I plotted out most of the major happenings in this, and then my awesome Twin (Jess; Jane Twin) came along and helped make it a full plot and then we decided to start writing. We haven't abandoned our other RI stories, we just really wanted to get this one out there, and by we, I mean me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Opening another beer Jane cursed her brother. He was supposed to have come over for the Redsox game. He was supposed to have brought pizza too, so now Jane was hungry and had watched the loosing game alone. She drained this bottle like she had the others when someone knocked on the apartment door.

Wavering as she stood Jane collected her bearings and made her way to look out the peep hole at her visitor: Maura. Taking off the security chain Jane flung the door open. "Hey, M," Jane almost purred, her bad mood of moments ago forgotten. A little more roughly than necessary the brunette pulled the blonde in to her apartment, kicking the door shut as her lips sought out Maura's.

The smell of beer assaulted her senses, and Maura pushed Jane back as gently as she could while still exerting enough force to succeeded. She had come over to check on her best friend, her _girlfriend_, and although she loved the attention, she didn't love this. "You're drunk, Jane." she pointed out dryly, her eyes moving to the couch as she counted the bottles that littered the floor and the coffee table. Her heart sank at the number.

Moving past the brunette, Maura started picking up the bottles and throwing them into the small trashcan that sat nearest the couch. She was angry at Jane for letting this happen. _Again_.

Not expecting to be pushed away, Jane stumbled a little but caught herself against the wall before falling. "I'm not drunk," slurred the detective, following her girlfriend in to the living room. Frowning at Maura picking up the bottles. Sliding her hands on to Maura's hips Jane pulled the other woman against her. "I'm not drunk," she asserted once more, kissing the back of the blonde's neck a little more harshly than intended.

Maura turned around, pushing at Jane again, putting distance between them. The shooting had changed the detective, and this was one of those changes. "Stop lying, Jane. Just… stop lying," she stated, her voice softer than intended. She was angry at Jane for letting things get this way. The medical examiner was angry because nothing she did was ever _enough_.

Picking up another bottle, she shook it in Jane's face. "I'm tired of this, Jane. So just… stop lying to me."

This time when Maura shoved her Jane stumbled back and fell, funnily enough over a stray bottle. Leaping to her feet Jane hissed, "I'm not drunk and I'm not lying." She again retreated, with a bit more care this time, when a bottle was waved in her face. She still stumbled but kept standing, however not without a little effort. "What is your problem, Maura? What are you tired of? I have no idea what the hell you're talking about but get that damn bottle out of my face!"

"You're becoming an alcoholic! Do you want to be like your brother?" Maura pointed out, her anger growing just a tad. This is not what she had wanted to accomplish today, but something had to be done. Getting shot, _shooting herself_, had taken something away from the both of them and all the medical examiner wanted to do was find it again.

"I'm not a fucking alcoholic, Maura! And I'm not like my brother!" Grabbing the bottle that was still being waved in her face, Jane ripped the bottle free from Maura's hand and tossed it away. The bottle shattered spectacularly against the wall. "You're the one with issues," Jane half roared, pushing Maura out of her space.

Maura flinched at the sound of break glass and stumbled, managing to catch herself against the edge of the couch. Looking up at Jane, her hazel-green eyes held the beginning of tears that she was trying her hardest to hold back. This wasn't them, and it was tearing her apart at the seems to not be able to fix Jane. Keeping her distance, the blonde tried to reason with Jane again.

You just don't give up on someone you love.

"You might not be an alcoholic yet, but you're close Jane. Just let me help you."

Jane saw the tears brimming in Maura's eyes but that little gleam of knowledge was pushed out of her mind. "I don't need your help because there is nothing wrong! God, don't fucking judge me Maura! You don't like it leave! You know where the damn door is!" Jane yelled, gesturing wildly enough to send Joe Friday scampering out of the living room.

"I'm not judging you, Jane. I'm not- you don't give up on the important things. We're important. I just want to help!"

The sudden uncertainty she was feeling crept into her voice, making her feel smaller than she already did in the wake of Jane's rage. Jane needed help and Maura didn't know what else to do to get the detective to see that. Picking up another bottle, she held it in her hand, but she didn't dare wave it in Jane's face. Not this time. "This isn't you-"

"I'm not giving up and I told you, I don't fucking need help!" Again Jane grabbed the bottle out of Maura's hand but this time snapped off the top and defiantly took a long swig. Slamming the bottle down on the end table Jane didn't care at all when it fell over, spilling its contents all over the hardwood surface. "This isn't me? Then maybe you don't know me," Jane hissed.

Standing up straight, Maura looked Jane in the eye and stepped closer to her. She could smell the beer on the detective's breath and see the intoxicated flush in her dark cheeks. "You're right, Jane. Maybe I don't know you, because I believed you were better than this. I thought I _knew_ you were better than this, but it appears that you are not."

Jane laughed pointing a finger sloppily in Maura's direction. "I fucking knew it! It comes back to this, I'm not good enough for you to give a damn about! You are always right Maura, I shouldn't even try!"

"Maybe I'm the one that shouldn't even try," she replied after a moment, moving past Jane. She lightly shoved the detective out of her way with her side and shoulder, just wanting to get out of the apartment and go home. She couldn't do this. Glancing back at Jane once she reached the door, the medical examiner had to admit to herself that she was afraid of the one person in the world that she loved more than anything. Without another word, she left the apartment, the door barely making any sound as it closed.


	2. Two

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 2/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** "I would've called, but I didn't think you would've taken it."  
**A/N:** And here is chapter two. Just a little tip, the more reviews we get then the faster we will post. Promise.

She dreamed about it sometimes.

Boston. Life with Jane. Jane period.

That was a long time ago, though.

Being back in the city didn't change that at all, and stepping into the Boston Police Department was easier than she had thought it would be.

For the first time in a long time Frost, Korsak and Jane weren't an awkward partnership of three. A couple years ago Frankie got his Detective's Shield but now he was officially a homicide detective, just like his sister. But even though Jane ragged on Frankie, she trusted him to have Korsak's back.

The four of them walked back in from lunch, laughing about something someone had said that one time. Walking in to the precinct Jane frozen, causing the three men behind her to collide in an effort not to hit the female detective. "What the hell, Rizzoli? Forget how to walk?"

"I would've called, but I didn't think you would've taken it," the familiar voice was just as beautiful as it had been all those years ago, if not a little more subdued. Maura Isles was standing in the middle of the bullpen with her hair up in a ponytail, wearing comfortable blue jeans and a silk shirt. For a moment, it was almost as if nothing had changed, except that everything had changed.

Frost took pity on his partner and nodded to their desks, making the other detectives give the two a little space. "Good to see you again, Doc," he muttered, wondering if they should be here for this.

"Yeah…" Jane didn't know what to say because she didn't know how she would have reacted, or even how she should be reacting now. "You're looking good, Maura," she blurt out finally, not knowing what else to say to her one time best friend. One time girlfriend. And constant source of heartbreak.

"You too," Maura stated softly, the look on her face so different than it had been when she walked out of Jane's apartment almost five years ago and just kept walking. She started to step forward, but paused, remembering that she wasn't alone. Turning back, Maura bent down and picked up a little boy of about the age of three that had been hiding behind her legs. He was black haired and blue eyed, and clung to Maura like his life depended on it.

Frankie whistled from his desk before he could stop himself. "Wow, Maura. Is he yours?"

She just nodded, smiling over at Frankie the best she could. "He belongs to my husband."

Jane didn't know what to say to Maura. How to tell her that she was sorry for the way they left things. How to say that Maura was right, that she had indeed had a problem with alcohol. How to say that she had screwed up the best thing going for her. Hearing Frankie's statement, Jane looked down at the young boy hiding behind Maura's knees.

"You're married?" Jane stammered out the question. She didn't know what she had expected for Maura, or why it was shocking that Maura was married. After all, Jane had gotten married, and divorced, within the last five years.

Maura just nodded, feeling her throat tighten. This was a lot harder than she had thought it would be. Clutching her son tighter to her, she shifted him so that he was resting on her hip. "For the better part of four years," she admitted softly. She had married Michael when he proposed, because she was still trying to forget Jane and Boston, but it hadn't worked.

"Congratulations, Doc." Korsak offered from his desk, wondering if it was really appropriate in the situation. She paused for a moment, feeling the boy on her hip shift.

"I'm not a Doctor at the moment," she confessed after a moment. She had worked as an ME for almost two years before letting it go. Maura had promised herself she would go back to it eventually, but the years had started to slip away from her in more ways than one.

There was a little kid clinging to Maura. Maura had a kid. It was difficult for Jane to wrap her head around that fact. "He's adorable, Maura." She wanted to badly to fall in to the old habit of calling the blonde woman 'M' as she always used to, but it didn't seem right or appropriate anymore, given the circumstances.

"You aren't a doctor anymore? You love…you loved being a doctor." Obviously Jane didn't know Maura anymore. Married with a kid? But Jane was hardly the same either, now into her first year of divorce.

Maura bit her bottom lip, a nervous habit she had picked up when she couldn't fidget. She could feel everyone looking at her and her son and she wondered if coming back here had been the right thing to do.

"Things change," she offered up softly. Maura had stayed at home to raise the boy in her arms. He was her entire world now. The little boy tugged on her shirt, looking up at her with blue eyes that were exactly like his father's. Rubbing his back, she pulled him closer. He was uneasy about being in an unfamiliar place and she could knew that.

"Is your old man around?" Frankie asked. He honestly was interested in meeting the man that Maura had married. For a long time, he had assumed his sister would end up with the medical examiner, but as she had said just moments ago, things change.

Shaking her head, Maura looked over at Frankie. It was easier to talk to them than it was to talk to Jane.

Jane gave her brother a look; if she had been next to him Frankie would have gotten hit. Being partners with Korsak was a bad influence on her brother, his jaw was more easily unhinged and at all of the wrong times. It was none of his business, despite how much Jane wanted to know as well, if Maura's husband was around or not.

"If Jane can get married, why can't Maura?" Korsak asked, half in joke. Jane looked at her ex-partner in shock. This was not sharing time but still secrets were seeping out of the cracks here and there. But Jane swore that if Frost opened his mouth to say something unpleasant, like her brother and Korsak, she might very well shoot him here and now.

"You guys have no manners," Frost pointed out, knowing when to keep his mouth shut. He would rather not have to ride around in the cruiser with an angry Jane for the rest of their shift.

"You're married?" Maura asked, slightly surprised by this. Jane had never seemed the type for a wedding, but if the medical examiner had to think of one person that would pursue the detective just as much as she had… "Gabriel?"

"Uh…actually divorced. But yeah, Gabe." Maybe six months after Maura left Boston the FBI agent came back. He had tried to woo her and this time Jane let him. Their relationship hadn't progressed quickly until Gabriel got an assignment out of Boston. But a relationship that had survived because of distance making the heart grow fonder, had wilted under constant care. Less than a year after giving her mother the white wedding she wanted Jane was testing separation from her almost too perfect husband.

Divorce had followed shortly after the separation. And Jane's only reaction was to throw herself back in to work. Not knowing what else to do.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Maura whispered softly. She had always hoped that Jane would be happy, because the detective would always mean that much to her. When her phone started going off, a ring tone that she knew well enough, the blonde tensed slightly before reaching into her pocket and silencing it.

"I'd love to stay, but I really should be going," she voiced after a moment. She still had a lot to go before it go too late and staying here was only bringing up old wounds that were still trying to heal.

The little boy in her arms tugged at her shirt, whispering soft enough that it was hard to make out what he was saying. "Can we come back to the police station sometime?"

Maura nodded at him, watching as Frankie, Korsak, and Frost stood up to say goodbye. "We'll see Nicholas," she replied softly, saying goodbye without any hugs to the guys. Turning back to Jane though, she felt her throat close up.

"… It was nice seeing you again, Jane."

"It happens," Jane admitted with a shrug, going for nonchalance. None of the involved had been all that broken up over the divorce, even the queen of overreactions: Angela Rizzoli. She and Gabe just didn't have that can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of love. And they both knew it.

Jane felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Yeah….we've got to get back to work as well. Murders just don't solve themselves." Jane raised her arms, almost as if she wanted to hug Maura but thought better of it. Lowering one arm she might have made it in to a handshake but that didn't feel right either. "We'll be seeing you?" she managed, finally, more asking than telling and with an awkward half wave, half salute.

"Take care, Maura." "Don't be a stranger." "Good seeing you, Doc."

Maura just nodded, looking at Jane a moment more before she ducked her head and walked out of the precinct with the little boy still in her arms. The bullpen was quiet for a long moment after the doctor was gone, and it was finally Frost that spoke up.

"Did anyone else notice that she wouldn't let us touch her?"

Staring out the door for another long moment before turning back to the other three detectives. "What? It's been five years, you can't expect…things change. People change." With a sigh Jane looked towards the elevator and wished that things hadn't changed.

"Come on, we have to get back to work." The three men decided not to get in to it, leaving Jane staring at the door a moment longer before she threw all of her efforts in to work. After all, it was the best way to deal with heartache.


	3. Three

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 3/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** There was a revolving door on the position, putting new Medical Examiners in with alarming frequency.  
**A/N:** Sorry that this chapter is epicly short, but you'll have more soon enough. Just remember to leave us lovely reviews.

Nowadays Jane hated the Morgue almost as much as she hated the revolving door on the position, putting new Medical Examiners in with alarming frequency. None of them had stuck after…after Maura left. And Jane had started avoiding the Morgue, as much as possible when she was Lead Detective on more than a few cases. Being there made her miss Maura even more and none of the 'replacements' were good enough, to Jane's eyes at least.

Grumbling, Jane made her way to the Morgue. Frost was busy doing something technical and way over his partner's head. Frankie was out getting coffee, the duty of the low man on the totem pole. And Korsak's knee had been bothering him. Riding down in the elevator Jane couldn't even remember the name of the current ME, if she ever knew it. She'd gotten good at avoiding the Morgue.

"Maura?"

Turning back, her hair was in the bun that she had always wore when working in the Morgue. It was almost like she had never really left. Taking off the gloves, Maura turned fully face Jane, trying to give her a smile that faltered in the end.

"I suppose Barry forgot to tell you," she stated after a moment. Getting back her position had been a lot easier than she would've thought, but it was soothing. Nothing had really changed her and even after giving up her job, she still knew what she was doing after all of the years away.

"Guess it slipped his mind." The problem is that Frost didn't forget things like that. He was notorious for loosing his keys or forgetting to get more coffee when he ran out. He didn't forget to tell people important things like this. "So you're back? Like for good?" Jane asked after a moment of awkward silence.

It was disconcerting how much this brought everything back. How much she missed Maura, how much she had screwed up. But mostly it reminded her of how she found out that Maura had left. Instead of finding Maura in the Morgue it had been some ratty, self-absorbed little man. He introduced himself as the ME. Something else Frost had forgotten to tell her.

"For now," she answered softly after a moment. Maura wasn't going to promise that she was staying around, because there was no guarantee that she would. Leaving last time had been a decision she had told no one about. Only Frost had found her sneaking into the Morgue to get some of her things, and the sad smile he had given her was a reflection of the one on her own face. Now things where different, and she was back.

For now.

Turning back to the body on the table, Maura waited a moment before she spoke up. "There was no foul play with the body, Detective Rizzoli. Suicide is the cause of death."

Resting a hand on one hip Jane didn't know what to say to Maura. She wanted to say that she missed her. She wanted to say that she loved her. She wanted to tell the other woman how glad she was that she came back. She wanted to make amends like step nine told her to, but the same step prevented the apology because it wouldn't help only make things more muddled.

"That's good." It wasn't clear what she meant, but even Jane didn't know what she meant. Instinctively, restless fingers moved from her hip to a spot a little further up. The spot where she got shot, shot herself really. It didn't hurt but it had become a nervous habit.

Maura glanced back at Jane just in time to see the brunette's fingers brush against a spot that she knew well. She still had nightmares of watching her best friend, _her girlfriend_ at the time, bleeding out on the stairs right in front of the precinct. She would never forget that. It was always going to be known as the day she lost Jane, because in all of the aftermath, that had been the end result.

"Jane…"

She wasn't quite sure why she had said the detective's name, but the moment or whatever it was quickly became ruined as her cell phone started ringing. It was the same ring tone as it had been almost a week ago in the bullpen. Maura silenced it quickly, all but throwing the phone back into her purse.

"I should probably get back to work. There are a lot of things that need to be organized."

Jane wanted to know what Maura was going to say. But that damn phone. Twice they might have talked, twice they were interrupted by the phone. This was frustrating. Jane didn't know if she should be mad at Frost for not telling her, at the phone for disrupting a conversation long overdue, or at herself for causing all of this.

"Yeah, definitely. If that's a suicide we'll close the case. Good work, Maura." For another long moment Jane looked across the room at Maura; trying to figure things out, trying to understand everything. "Take care now."

A small smile managed to appear upon her face at the praise, but the three little words that Jane added to the end of it made her pause. Take care now was not something the detective would usually say, but she didn't ask about it. She had lost the right to ask the brunette things after she had left without looking back.

"You do the same," she echoed after a moment. Maura continued to look Jane over for a second longer before she turned back to finish working on the body in front of her.


	4. Four

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 4/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** "You and Doctor Isles are jumpy today."  
**A/N:** Seriously, guys, reviews make us happy. Very happy.

She'd been back for almost a month now, and things were no less awkward than before. Sometimes Jane avoided coming down to the morgue, and she likewise avoided the bullpen as much as possible. They didn't talk about their personal lives anymore, and she always turned down Barry's offers of getting a drink with them after the work day was over.

Maura had no idea why she had thought coming back would be easier than the other alternatives. Hearing the door open, she brought her head up quickly from the autopsy she was performing. She wouldn't admit that she was a little disappointed to see Barry Frost instead of Jane Rizzoli.

"Detective," she greeted lightly, a small smile appearing on her face. It was easy to fall back in with Frost, because he was a nice person and he genuinely cared about them all. The same could be said for Korsak on some level, but so far it was easiest to reconnect with Barry than with anyone else.

Barry didn't mind being the only one that went down to the Morgue. He was almost over the dead body thing, almost. Jane didn't come down here anymore because she didn't know how to deal with the emotions, or how to talk about them. Frankie didn't know where to stand and simply followed his sister's lead. And Vince supported Jane with without showing any of his personal opinions on the matter; something strange for Korsak.

"Morning, Doc." For a long moment Barry looked at the body on the table and, even though his throat convulsed, he overcame the urge to purge. "Anything interesting in there?" he asked, but didn't have time to hear the answer when something from within the body cavity made a squelching sound. Bile rising in his throat Barry made a quick turn for the nearest sink, knocking over an instrument tray in his haste.

Maura only smiled as she watched Barry turn and run, even after he knocked over the table. Pulling off her gloves and throwing them away, she picked up the metal tray and the table, setting them up correctly before she started to pick up everything else. "Sorry about that. I was trying to get the liver." she offered up in explanation of the odd sound that he had heard.

Composing himself Frost gave a shaky smile. "I swear I'm getting better at it. That's the first time in about two months." Washing evidence of his failure down the sink Barry turned and knelt down to help put to rights the mess that he had made. He tried not to picture these instruments performing an autopsy, or the worse thought of the tools having just been used on the victim on the table. Reaching for a scalpel Barry's hand brushed Maura's.

She had been about to say that he was getting better, but the moment his hand touched hers, she froze. Maura pulled back immediately, almost knocking the table over again. She managed to avoid it at the last moment, turning her face down as she finished picking up the rest of the instruments and put them back on the table.

"Thank you for the help. I won't have any results for about an hour. I'll bring them up," she offered, knowing that no one wanted to come down into her domain anymore. Not really.

Rocking back on his heels Barry watched the doctor's reaction to a simple touch. He made connections and theories but didn't voice them. Standing up Frost gave no indication that anything was wrong. "Not a problem, see you in a bit then." Riding up the elevator Frost was distracted, too distracted to notice Jane's own level of distraction.

Sometimes the desire to drink was almost overwhelming. But she would get over it. After both Maura and Frankie had likened Jane's behavior to Tommy's Jane decided it had to end. She never felt the same as the rest of the individuals at AA meetings but that was a big factor that prevented her from getting worse. She'd wanted a drink more than once during the divorce but hadn't broken the three years of sobriety, now was hardly that desperate and she could over come it. That is what she was thinking when Frost scared her.

"You and Doctor Isles are jumpy today."

He made his way over to his desk, glancing over at his partner. He kept replaying the way Doctor Isles had almost thrown herself across the room to get away from him, and how quick she tried to hide it.

"I was helping her pick up her tray and when I barely touched her hand she about flew across the room. You women are crazy," he finished, watching the other detective. He usually knew when something was wrong with the brunette, but right now he was trying to figure out the good doctor.

"And you've been hanging around with Korsak after work too much, saying things like 'you women'?" Jane covered quickly. Her friends and brother knew about her battle with the bottle but Jane couldn't bring herself to tell them how often she felt that thirst which could only be quenched by a long pull from a tall glass bottleneck. "So don't touch her. She doesn't like something, you don't do it. Simple stuff."

Frost opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately before he let the thought escape. Looking over at Jane, he furrowed his brow, wondering if he had missed something. Obviously, he had, because that look on her face was one he knew well.

"Stop thinking about it. You're just gonna drive yourself even more crazy than you already are."

"Get out of my head, Frost," she grumbled jokingly. Continuing on a more serious note Jane said, "If I wanted my head shrunk I'd go get it done. Our fabulous health care pays for five whole sessions for free." But even from her seriousness Jane turned it in to sarcasm. As much as Jane wanted to know what was going on with Maura she didn't have the right.

And that fact made her desire to drink a little stronger. Thinking about Maura made Jane want to drink, as did stress, sadness and tough cases. But there was an even stronger thought that kept her sober: not screwing up her life again by putting her dependency first.

"It'd take a whole lot more than five to figure out why you're screwy," he pointed out, teasing her to bring back the light mood that was frequently missing in the bullpen nowadays. It didn't last though, because his mind was still on the way Doctor Isles had jumped back from such an accidental touch.

"I mean, come on Jane. Doctor Isles was never touchy feely, but she never pulled away either." Frost knew that his partner was probably going to tell him to shut up and for once he would comply. At least, for now he would anyways.

Laughing with indignation Jane aimed a halfhearted kick at Frost's desk. "And you think it would go so much better for you? Yeah right." Jane blamed herself for the atmosphere lately. Ever since Maura came back she hadn't felt right and didn't know how to fix it. She knew how she wanted to fix it, but that wasn't an option.

"Things change, Frost. It's not your place and it certainly isn't mine. So just, leave it be, alright? Just leave it." It wasn't her right to know anything about Maura now and until they resolved things, a highly unlikely possibility, it might not ever be her place again.


	5. Five

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 5/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** "You can do what you need to, I'll keep an eye on him."  
**A/N:** Seriously, guys, reviews make us happy. Very happy.

"Doctor Isles? Did you need something?" Frost asked coming in to the Morgue. The Medical Examiner had called him and asked him to come down. There wasn't a case that had any reason for him to come down here but he did anyway.

And he was surprised to find not just the Medical Examiner in the Morgue, but also her young son. They hadn't seen the little boy since the surprise entrance made about a month ago by Maura after five years absence. "Hey there, little man. How you doin'?"

Nicholas looked from Maura to Frost, and then back to Maura. She nodded her head, giving him a small smile of encouragement. Still all he did was wave politely at the detective from where he was sitting on the medical examiner's desk. Standing up, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head before looking over at the man she had called down.

"Can you watch him for a moment? I have a meeting and I can't take him."

Normally, she wouldn't have brought him to work in the first place, but his Nanny had called in sick and on such short notice she had just put him in the car and brought him. He wasn't any trouble, so she wasn't worried about him getting into something he shouldn't.

"I promise it won't be for long," she added, smiling at Frost.

With a small smile Frost waved back at the young boy. He contemplated the favor the Medical Examiner was asking of him for a long moment, chewing on his lip before nodding. "I'm not so good with kids but sure. At least he doesn't seem as bad as my demon nephews."

Pulling a chair over near the desk Frost sat down next to Nicholas, smiling at the boy. "I got it from here, Doc. You can do what you need to, I'll keep an eye on him."

Maura smiled at Frost in relief, pressing another kiss to the top of the little boy's head before she grabbed the papers the she needed and headed out of the morgue.

For his part, Nicholas was very quiet, swinging his legs back and forth as he looked at the miniature cop car in his hands. He had been watching Maura do paperwork for the last two hours or so and he hadn't budged once from the corner of the desk. Even now, when most three year olds would be trying to take advantage of their unknowing babysitter, he just sat quietly.

Nicholas was the best behaved kid that Frost had ever met. Not only did the little boy make Barry's nephews seem even worse but sat silently, a babysitter's dream. He was still supposed to be working so Frost pulled out his phone and typed up an email to a colleague in another department who was helping with the current case. But he couldn't get service to send it in the basement of the BPD and saved it to send as soon as he got a spare moment.

"Frost?" Jane questioned, walking in to the Morgue. Frankie had told her that her partner was down here and they had witnesses to question and a case to be working on. "What…What are you doing?"

Nearly half an hour of silence made Barry jump slightly. "Hey, Doctor Isles asked me to watch him. But do you think you could watch him for a minute? I need to go send this email, get a little bit of a lead on the case." Without waiting for confirmation Frost left Jane alone with the little boy.

"Frost!" she hissed but her partner was already gone. Turning to the little boy who watched her Jane smiled feeling ridiculous and out of her depth.

Nicholas didn't even watch Frost leave. He turned his eyes down and continued to kick his feet, grasping the small cop car in his hands just a little tighter. He had always been quiet unless he was talking to Maura, and even then he didn't really say much or get loud. He had once been enrolled in daycare, but the other children making fun of him had led to him being pulled out. He'd much rather stay at home or go to work with Maura anyways.

Glancing up for a moment, his blue eyes locked on Jane.

Jane smiled when the little boy, Nicholas she corrected mentally, looked at her. "Hey…" When the little boy didn't respond to her Jane didn't push it. She figured that Frost would be back soon but a few minutes had passed and nothing.

"That's a nice car," she blurted finally, feeling a little pressured by the silence.

The smile that appeared on his face was instant, lighting up his blue eyes that had previously seemed a little dull. Holding it out for her to see better, he kicked his legs a little more enthusiastically. "I got it for my birthday," he stated in a voice that was soft and quiet despite how excited he seemed to be.

With Nicholas smiling Jane couldn't help but smile back. Sitting down in what she could only assume was Frost's chair Jane scooted the chair until she was facing the little boy. "You like cars then? I used to play with toy cars too, but now I have a real one. Nothing as nice as that, but it works well enough.

A small frown appeared on his face and he clutched the small cop car a little tighter in his tiny hands. "I like cop cars," he corrected, tilting his head to the side a little and looking at her again. "Are you a cop?" he asked after a moment. He knew they were in the Police Department, because Maura had promised to show him around after she got finished. It was just easier to assume that everyone but Maura was a cop. Mostly.

"Cop cars are nice too. Especially when they turn on the lights and sirens, right?" Jane prodded Nicholas, trying to get that smile back on his face. "I don't wear a uniform anymore but I am a cop. I'm a detective," Jane told the little boy, taking her badge off of her belt and holding it out to the curious little boy. "You want to play with my badge?"

Nicholas smiled lightly when poked, nodding his head in agreement. The moment he saw the badge though, he put his cop car down and started to pick it up. He paused though, looking up at Jane with bright blue eyes. "Can I really?" he asked for confirmation, knowing from experience that sometimes people offered things they weren't willing to give.

"Sure, go on, take it. It's pretty nice." Setting the badge in to Nicholas' hand. If ever there was a case with kids the badge was always the first thing that drew attention. It was shiny and it never failed to interest children. "But only if I can see you car, fair trade and all."

Nicholas handled the badge with care, and he only hesitated a moment before offering his car to Jane. His small fingers traced over the front of the badge repeatedly as he studied it, his facial expression about the only thing that seemed to resemble anything Maura at all. Besides his behavior. Tracing out her badge number again, he barely glanced up at Jane when he said anything. "Maura thinks I like cops so much because I went to work with her a lot." he offered after a moment.

Jane took the car with a quiet 'thanks' and rolled it with one hand across the desktop. She bumped his leg lightly with the nose of the car, watching him speculatively. He was a lot like Maura. Jane could not pick out physical similarities but they were cut from the same cloth in a different way. They were both alike; very quiet, extremely smart and more than a little different.

"Better to like the cops than the criminals."

Nicholas opened his mouth to say something, but paused when he noticed someone beyond Jane's shoulder. He smile came back into place as he held the badge up higher. "She let me play with her badge, Maura," he stated proudly, sliding off the desk with little trouble and almost bumping into Jane as he ran the small distance to the medical examiner.

Trying not to show her surprise, and her worry, Maura bent down and smiled at Nicholas, watching the way his eyes lit up as he held the badge close. Jane really had no idea what she had just done, and the thought alone made the blonde both happy and incredibly sad. Picking him up, she walked back over to her desk, sitting him down on top of it where he would probably stay until they went home.

"… thank you for watching him, but you didn't have to." she stated after a moment, uncertain of what else she could say. She had been trying to keep Jane away from Nicholas, if only because the little nagging voice in the back of her head that was still somewhat afraid of the detective.

Jane hadn't heard Maura come in and jumped out of the chair. "Hi, Maura…" For a few moments Jane had forgotten the awkwardness between Maura and herself while interacting with the little boy. "Frost had to go…do something. Shouldn't have taken this long," she mused, checking her watch.

"He's a great kid. A lot like you," Jane offered, jamming her hands in to her pockets. Feeling the toy car still in her hand Jane took the toy out of her pocket and set it down on the desk. She was going to say something else when Frost came skidding in to the Morgue. "What happened to 'just a minute' huh Frost?" Jane asked with a slight glare in his direction.

"Sorry, got caught up in a text war with Jeff, from burglary…and that doesn't matter," Frost trailed off when he got no sympathy from Jane.

"We have work to do," she admonished Frost and while her partner left the Morgue Jane crouched in front of the desk. Using a much nicer tone of voice Jane addressed Nicholas. "I'm going to need to have that back, I've got work to do. I'll let you see it another time, maybe take you for a ride in a cop car some time."

The entire conversation Nicholas had been playing with the badge, and when Jane asked for it back, he held it out with a small smile. "Thank you Detective Rizzoli." he said in a soft tone, the perfect gentlemen for a boy of just three years old. Maura was about to say something to Jane of along the same lines, again, when her phone started to go off. It was the same ring tone that seemed to break up the most opportune moments, and she silenced it quickly.

Nicholas picked up his car, turning his attention to Maura. "Dad calls a lot, doesn't he?" he asked, his voice quieter than it had been earlier. The look the blonde shared with the three year old was quick and she could only nod for a moment. The sudden lump in her throat made it hard to speak. "Yes, he does…" she replied softly after a moment. Turning back to Jane, she put a fake smile on her face.

"Thank you again, Jane. It really means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Nicholas. I'll even see what I can do about getting you one of your own." Clipping the shield back to her belt Jane stood up, giving the little boy another smile before turning to face Maura again. The smile stretching across her face almost turned in to a frown at the sound of the ringtone, but Jane controlled her facial muscles.

She didn't know how to take the news that the ringtone was Nicholas' dad's ring. He called a lot, and always at the most badly timed moments that she could think of. "You can answer that if you want." Jane wondered about Maura's reaction a week ago that she had heard about from Frost and her almost avoidance of her husband. It made Jane's stomach clench but she didn't react outwardly.

"It's not a big deal, Maura. But if I was you, I'd reconsider letting Frost babysit anytime soon," she joked.

"No, it's okay. It can wait," she answered almost automatically. Her body was tense for a moment until she was sure she phone wasn't going to go off again. Relaxing, she let out a small smile and a gentle laugh at Jane's joke. The first time she'd laughed since being back.

"I'll keep that in mind, but you should go. Before he comes back." she replied, giving Jane a slightly genuine smile.

Of course, Nicholas smiled and waved at her. "Goodbye Detective Rizzoli."

Hearing Maura laugh made Jane smile. It brought back a lot of good memories, as well as disappointment because she was the reason Maura left, taking away chances for Jane to hear laughter and see smiles from Maura. "I'll see you. Bye yourself, Nicholas. Bye Maura," Jane said with a small bittersweet smile, heading out to do her job.


	6. Six

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 6/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** "Maura?"  
**A/N:** And here is an update guys. Sorry that it took so long but I (Chedders) have been working a lot and haven't been on to post this, but we've got it up now.

She had almost been back in Boston for three months, and things were starting to get better. The first month had been rocky, but after Jane's interaction with Nicholas, the tension seemed to ease off just a tad. The second month was easier, but still somewhat awkward. At least now she could sit in the bullpen with them and talk without feeling too much out of the loop. Korsak and Frankie were actually making jokes that included her again, and Jane was smiling just a little more.

It was better this way was the only thing she could think while sitting on the edge of Frost's desk, listening as Korsak told one of his stories. Glancing away from Korsak, Maura looked up when the door leading into the bullpen opened. Immediately, the color drained from her face and she could hear Frost laughing at something from behind her, but it barely registered.

"You okay, Maur?" Frankie asked, noticing that the medical examiner was looking a little pale. Korsak stopped in the middle of his story, looking over at the blonde as well.

"You okay, Doc?" he asked, moving to get up, but the sound of a stranger's voice caused the tension in the room to skyrocket.

"Maura?"

Jane was content. She couldn't exactly say happy but it was better than it had been in a very long time. Having Maura back in her life, even at an arm's length, was both a relief and left her itching for more, even if more was only having her best friend back. But right now was better than when Maura had come back to Boston and every interaction was stilted, awkward and somewhat painful.

Typing up a report Jane wasn't listening to Korsak's story, she'd heard it before it had gained the embellishments. Frankie and Korsak's questioning made Jane's head whip up and a single glance at Maura's face made the detective know something was up. And looking at the door she felt her eyes widen and her jaw would have dropped if it wasn't clenched tightly. She could figure who this was and she wasn't a fan.

"Michael."

It took her a moment to get the single word out, but once she did, she felt her heart start to race again, moving away from the desk she tried to put on a smile, but it was forced. Much more so than any of the smiles she had given to Jane since coming back.

Tall, dark, and handsome was one way to describe Michael Casbrook. He exuded power and his blue eyes were a lot darker than his sons. He hair was thinning, but not enough to be noticeable by most people. He kept fingering the gold watch around his wrist, watching Maura.

"I told you I'd come," he stated with a smile on his face, stepping closer to her.

Jane immediately distrusted him on sight. A power suit with a silk shirt and the very air that hovered around him spoke of wealth in a way that Maura never had, even in her designer dresses. Standing as well Jane crossed her arms over her chest and stared as belligerently, if politely, as possible at Maura's husband.

Frost had a theory. And Jane would be willing to believe it. Especially if there was even another ounce proof.

"You did," she stated softly, looking up at him with her hazel-green eyes. There was a moment in which nothing happened, and when Michael realized Maura wasn't coming to him, he went to her. The medical examiner immediately tensed, but she didn't step away. Her husband just smiled, hugging her tightly. She returned the awkward embrace before pulling away, standing next to him with his arm around her waist.

"You should introduce us, M." he stated softly, glancing over at the medical examiner who tried to keep her smile in place as she nodded.

In turn, she pointed the three guys first, introducing them to her husband who introduced himself back. Then, there was Jane. Looking at her once best friend, Maura gestured to the only female detective.

"And this is Detective Rizzoli. Jane."

The hairs on the back of Jane's necks stood up as Michael approached. He raised her hackles but the small sensible part of Jane's mind told her it could just be a bad case of jealousy. She might believe that if he didn't make her gut start churning in more than just jealousy, it was the cop part of her that he set off as well as the woman who cared about Maura.

And he called her 'M?' Nobody called Maura that but Jane because she was the one that had coined the nickname, Maura's first nickname. Now it really was the territorial part of her that was roused, or at least a little more so than the cop at this moment.

"Nice to meet you," Jane said stiffly, shaking the proffered hand a little harder than necessary.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Detective." he answered with a smile, shaking Jane's hand with as much force as she was shaking his.

The arm around her waist tightened, but she didn't move an inch. She just smiled at Jane, trying to be reassuring to the detective, but it wasn't just the brunette she was worried about. Frost was giving Michael this look that she had never seen on the younger man's face, and it wasn't a good one. Before she could do anything, however, Michael turned to her, pressing a quick, but still somewhat possessive, kiss against her lips before he let go entirely.

"I have business to attend to, but I'll be back for you later." he stated without giving Maura room to budge. She only nodded, returning the half smile he gave her before he nodded to the detective's and left.

Maura didn't hesitate either. "I should go finish my paperwork," she offered as a quick explanation when she turned away from her friends, tentative as they were, and started toward the elevator.

If his entire manner didn't set Jane on edge, what was worse was the way that he talked to Maura. As if she weren't infinitely more intelligent than he could ever hope to be, it made it impossible for the detective to ever like this Michael character. She was a little occupied glaring at the back of his head and didn't hear Maura excuse herself until it was Maura who was out the door.

"I can't stand that guy," Jane growled half a minute later.

"You're just jealous, Rizzoli." Korsak cut in, but the truth was, he didn't like the guy either. None of them did. He wondered how in the world someone like Maura Isles ended up with a man like that, but he knew from tons of experience that once you married someone, things were different.

"Cut it out, Vince." Frost interjected, leaning back in his chair and watching Jane. She might be just a tad jealous, but the rest of it was pure instinct. He would see it on her face, and he felt about the same way.

"I'm not jealous," Jane snarled, socking Korsak a little bit harder than she intended. She still watched the door, wanting Maura to come back through the door. When Maura had said she was married that man was not what Jane had pictured. The punk Fairfield, him Jane had understood but she didn't comprehend what Maura had ever seen in the man she married.

Frankie had been largely quiet before giving his two cents worth. "He reminds me of you, Jane…a bit." Outraged Jane thumped her brother on the head.

"Frankie, what are you smoking?"

"I could see that," Korsak volunteered, still rubbing his shoulder. Frost kept silent, not wanting to get the hit by Jane. She might be his partner, but that didn't mean she wasn't above hurting him, and her punches did hurt. Instead, stood up and grabbed his coat.

"C'mon Jane. Let's see if we can get anywhere with this case."

Shrugging in to her coat as well Jane followed Frost out, grumbling a little. "You think so too don't you?" Somehow her brother's idea wasn't that stupid, or Korsak wouldn't have agreed. And Frost hadn't put in his opinion, obviously because it was something going contrary to her opinion. Stopping him up short by grabbing his arm Jane looked at Frost, waiting for him to say it too.

Sighing, Frost looked Jane in the eye and nodded his head. "Yeah. I do," he confirmed after a moment, wondering if his partner was just too blind to see it or if she really just didn't see it. However, he also agreed with the female detective and he made that known as well. "I don't like him."

Frowning Jane settled her hands on her hip almost defensively. "I'm not like him she," muttered defensively, but if all three of them saw it there must be something there. "Am I?" They weren't detectives for nothing, they had to be able these kinds of things. All the same that didn't mean she had to like the guy, they weren't that much the same. "He rubs me the wrong way."

"Honestly, Jane? He reminds me of you _before_ you fixed it," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited a moment before relaxing, nodding his head as he looked back at the building they had just left. "Doctor Isles looked like she'd seen a ghost."

"I'm going to keep an eye on him. I don't like this guy. And I'm not jealous," she qualified defensively. Tossing Frost the keys Jane got in the car. "You were right though, there's something going on there. I don't like it." She didn't have to say that she wasn't going to stand for it, that much was obvious.

Climbing into the driver's side, Frost made sure that he buckled up before starting the car. "Of course I was right, Jane. I'm a detective," he pointed out, grinning at her just a little before he pulled out.

Nothing panned out on their interviews and Jane was in a worse mood than before. Heading down to the morgue was her next step, to find out if Maura had anything else for her. That was the only reason. But Jane's lie sounded awful even to herself as she practiced it. But did she need a reason to go see her friend? No, she didn't.

Stepping off the elevator Jane heard raised voices coming from the Morgue. Nobody raised their voices in the Morgue; people barely went there if at all possible. A sick feeling rose in her throat as Jane walked toward the glass doors, her hand hovering over her service weapon.

Maura stood with her back against one of her autopsy tables, gripping the edge of it so hard that her knuckles were white. Michael stood barely an arm's length away, the expression on his face no longer as calm as it had been upstairs. He was gripping the medical examiner by her upper arms, effectively blocking her in.

"After dinner, you will come back to L.A. with me, Maura. Both you and that boy." he stated, his hands tensing on her arms just a tad.

"Michael-" Maura knew better than to protest, and the slight look of painful ease that crossed over her family only lasted a moment before he dropped his hands entirely. Instead, he invaded her space a little more.

"You will listen to me, M-"

Both the cop and the person who cared more about Maura more than she would willingly admit, out loud, didn't like the way this scene looked. But she couldn't, legally, do anything because in the eye of the law it was simply a slight dispute. Rapping loudly on the glass Jane sauntered in to the room, coming to a stop leaning against an autopsy table canting out the hip where her gun was holstered. "Well now…isn't this cozy? Don't let me interrupt."

Hastily backing up and smiling a charming smile Michael greeted the detective. "I was just having a…discussion with my wife. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, continue. Just pretend I'm not here," Jane said, faking her smile just as well as Michael could.

Maura felt herself relax with Jane so close. It was an automatic reaction, in the end. It always had been and probably always would be. Acting upon her sudden courage, she smiled a little at Michael, but it was hollow. "Tonight isn't the best night for dinner," she stated, looking over at Jane for a second before turning her eyes back to Michael.

Michael kept the smile on his face, not letting it falter despite the sudden chill that entered his blue eyes. "Maura-"

"It's true. She's got plans tonight; I mean I guess my parents will have to get over it, though. They love having Maura over for dinner. They have her over every week." Jane could lie through her teeth and make it sound so sincere only because her parents _used_ to have Maura over at the weekly Rizzoli dinners, but Michael wouldn't know that. He seemed the type that, even if Maura had told him, he wouldn't have heard it.

Glancing over at Jane, keeping the smile plastered on his face, he backed off. "Perhaps it would be better if I finished my paperwork tonight. I'll see you when you get home then," he stated before turning to leave. Maura didn't let out the breath she was holding until she was completely sure that he was gone and not coming back. She was going to have to find a way to get Nicholas and avoiding being at the house for a few hours.

Watching Michael walk out of the Morgue, Jane felt a thrill of triumph and watched until he got on the elevator. "You really can come to dinner at my parents'. You know they'd love to see you. And I won't be there; I've got…something to do. Think about it, you're more than welcome there. And Nicholas would be too." Jane smiled as best as she could for the moment. It was a pity that she was restrained by the law or Jane might have hit the smug ass, right in the face.

For a moment, all she could do was nod, gathering herself back up slowly. It always took a moment nowadays. "Thank you," Maura whispered softly when she found her voice, looking over at Jane with a shaky smile. The red marks from Michael's grip were already fading and she had an out without needing to find one herself. At this moment, Jane was once again her hero.

"It's not a big deal, Maura. My parents really will love to have you there. And if you can stand a couple hours with Frankie, it won't be too bad," Jane offered with a shrug. Her mom had pestered both Jane and Frankie about getting Maura to come by. Showing amazing tact, however, Angela hadn't badgered her daughter too much. "I gotta get back to work, you gonna be okay, Maura?"

Smiling, this time a little more confident, Maura nodded. "I think I will go… thank you." she replied, feeling grateful for the female detective. Faced with the second question though, she almost faltered. Instead, she reached out a hand and barely touched Jane's arm before pulling away.

"Go back to work."


	7. Seven

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 7/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** Taking a deep breath, Maura made herself stand still, just waiting.  
**A/N:** Happy Late Thanksgiving to any of our US readers. :D

Maura ran her hands over the side of her dress again, nervous as she stood outside of the Rizzoli home. She hadn't even spoken to either Frank Sr. or Angela since returning to the city three months ago. For a moment, she wondered if she should just leave, but Nicholas grabbed her hand, looking up at her. He was as quiet as ever, holding his cop car tightly in his hand and dressed in his best casual clothes.

Taking a deep breath, Maura made herself stand still, just waiting.

"Look at you! Frank look at her!" Angela Rizzoli very nearly threw the door open to greet Maura and Nicholas. And if it hadn't been for Frank's steadying hand on her shoulder, she might have thrown herself at them. When Jane had told her mother that Maura was coming to dinner Angela was ecstatic. It didn't matter that it had been five years, they were just happy to see the woman who was their daughter's best friend and one-time girlfriend, because mothers knew everything after all.

"I can see her just fine, I'm not blind Angie."

The smile that lit up Maura's face was almost instant, even though she was still a little nervous. She had missed coming over here for dinner almost weekly. Even before she was Jane's girlfriend she had been included as apart of the family and she had always loved Angela and Frank for that.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Rizzoli," she stated after a moment. She wasn't going to be presumptuous enough to think that after all of this time she could just call them Frank and Angela again. She looked down, feeling Nicholas tug her hand as he stepped closer to her. The medical examiner pulled her hand from his and ran her fingers through his hair instead. It was something that usually soothed some of his nerves, and it helped hers as well.

"Don't be so formal, Maura. Its Angela and Frank, like always. Frank, go get the box," Angie instructed and as her husband shuffled away the Rizzoli matriarch explained. "Janie called and told us how much your son loves police cars, so I had Frank go get a box of old toys from the attic for him to play with." Despite how much Angela plied a young Jane with dolls her daughter was much more interested in cars and blocks, like her younger brothers.

"Frankie, go help you father and stop eating my raviolis before I put them on the table!" Angela admonished when she heard her son in the kitchen. Frankie smiled sheepishly as he walked out of the kitchen and followed his dad up the stairs.

"Thank you, Angela." Maura stated with a soft smile on her face, looking down to catch the reaction of the boy at her side. Nicholas eyes lit up at the name Janie, which he equated with Jane immediately. When he heard the words 'police cars' though, he became even more excited and looked up Angela Rizzoli with the same breathtaking smile of awe he had given the brunette detective when she offered up her badge.

Usually, she had to push him into talking to someone he wasn't familiar with, and even then it wasn't always assured that he would say anything. Still, she couldn't hide her slight surprise when he gripped his cop car tighter and stepped away from her side.

Looking up at Angela Rizzoli, Nicholas smiled gently at her, introducing himself. "I'm Nicholas," he offered, holding out his hand, the one that wasn't holding his cop car.

"Its very nice to meet you, Nicholas. He's precious, Maura," Angela exclaimed, making a huge fuss about a very little boy.

"Here we go, let's see what we got," Frank said as he set down his box. The first item out of the box was a worn and much abused police car the size of a small shoebox, the paint was worn in places and one of the windows had fallen out but all four wheels were still attached. "And we were surprised that Janie wanted to be a cop?"

Moving to the next box Frank cuffed his son lightly, asking, "How old are you?" Frankie immediately put down the action figure he'd taken from the second box.

"Thank you," Nicholas replied with a smile, his body relaxing. Maura watched Nicholas take the attention in stride, feeling herself relax when he didn't seem too nervous. Instead, he turned his attention to Frank Sr, smiling at the police car the older man was holding in his hand. He waited before taking a tentative step toward the box of toys, excited and in awe. The only one who ever got him anything was Maura.

"He's special," Maura stated softly, watching him with a look on her face that was nothing but pure love. She adored Nicholas so much.

Frank handed Nicholas the car with a smile. "Take it for a spin, why don'tcha." Seeing a little kid playing with his children's toys and a few of his own, some of the older cars belonged to Frank when he was growing up, made him feel nostalgic.

"They always are, I had three of them myself. Little angels, all of them. God only knows how they grew up so different," Angela mused. When it looked as though Frankie wanted to defend himself he stopped dead in his tracks with a single look from his mother. "Frankie, go take the garlic bread out of the oven and turn off the stove so we can eat soon."

Nicholas smiled at Frank, taking the car carefully. He looked back at Maura to make sure that it was okay. As soon as she nodded her head, he turned his attention back to the car and Frank. Remembering the exchange with Jane still, he held out his smaller car. "You can see it if you want to." he offered.

Maura watched it all with a gentle look on her face, relaxed. "He really likes Jane." she stated after a moment. It was the only thing she could think to say.

"Thanks." Sitting on the floor with Nicholas, Frank wheeled the littler car along the floor as he smiled at the little boy.

Watching her husband play on the floor made Angela smile. "And she loves him. Janie doesn't usually like kids but she loves your boy." And with some unknown signal the older woman knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that dinner was ready. "Frank, its time for dinner," she announced, ushering Maura to the dining room.

Looking at Nicholas speculatively Frank whispered to the little boy, "You can sit next to me," as if it were a secret of national importance.

Nicholas glanced over at Maura, nervous for just a moment. When she smiled at him and nodded, however, the little boy relaxed and smiled at Frank, nodding his head in return. For the blonde woman, it all felt a little surreal. Nicholas never took to people this easily, but he seemed to have fallen in love with the Rizzoli clan as a whole. It made her both extremely happy and somewhat sad at the same time.

Taking a seat across from Frankie Jr, Maura bowed her head and closed her eyes as Frank said the prayer. As soon as he was finished, they all started to eat almost immediately. Angela Rizzoli always made the best home cooked meals, and the medical examiner had missed that. Glancing around, it took her a moment to realize that Jane really wasn't there, which surprised her.

"Jane really isn't coming?" she asked after a moment.

Fork halfway to his mouth Frankie explained his sister's absence. "She never comes on Wednesdays. She has a meeting at six so she doesn't want to leave dinner early or come way late. So she ends up missing ravioli a lot, and it's one of her favorites. Seriously, there are other AA meetings in Boston," he said, popping the ravioli in to his mouth.

"Francis Joseph Rizzoli! What have I told you about talking about other people's business? Especially your sister! Frank!" Angela turned to her husband for backup.

Frankie opened his mouth to defend himself but Frank shook his head. "Quit while you're ahead, son."

At the mention of AA meetings, Maura almost dropped her fork. Instead, she tightened her grip around it and fell silent, uncertain of what to say. Since coming back to Boston, a small part of her had still been afraid of Jane. Still worried about her, too. After that night, for the first time since knowing her, the medical examiner had been afraid of her girlfriend and she didn't like that feeling. However, it wasn't something that she could just come out and discuss right here. As far as she knew, no one but Frost even had an idea of why she had just left.

Not that it really mattered anymore.

Instead of asking more questions, she went back to eating her ravioli silently.

Nicholas, on the other hand, was almost done with his small portion of food already. He wasn't the type to eat a lot, and he always ate fast so he could leave the table when they were home. Since they weren't home, however, when he finished eating he put his fork on his plate and sat quietly in his car, fiddling with his cop car under the table.

They finished eating, but it wasn't silence and instead was superficial prattle. But Frankie knew he was getting a dressing down when his mother told him to come in to the kitchen and help her wash the dishes. It wasn't common knowledge, what he'd talked about, but the family knew and so did Frost and Korsak. Nobody had the whole story but you didn't ask about it or talk about it unless Jane gave the go ahead.

"Let's go sit in the living room, see what other toys we got in that box," Frank suggested, watching Angela and Frankie clean up. Angela handled discipline and Frank was willing to let her have that control.

Nicholas nodded his head, moving to follow Frank almost immediately. He sensed the slight tension in the room and he wanted to be away from it all. Watching them leave, Maura hesitated only a moment before she followed them into the living room. She made herself comfortable in one of the chairs, watching as Nicholas dug through the box to find more cop-related items, but smiling nonetheless when he came up with a well used fire truck instead.

The medical examiner watched them for a few minutes in silence, glad to let Nicholas enjoy himself while he had the chance. She felt the need to say something and the words managed to make it out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"I didn't know," she all but whispered, keeping her eyes trained on Nicholas.

"You know Jane, she doesn't talk about it. Doesn't like other people talking about it much, either," Frank said with a shrug as he sat down in his chair. His daughter was stubborn and didn't tell anyone what she was doing, just stopped showing up for dinners on Wednesday nights. He'd been surprised that his wife had waited a month before asking Jane what was going on. When she'd told them Frank hadn't said it but he was proud of her for trying. Tommy hadn't started trying to turn his life around until his third stint in jail.

Watching the little boy play Frank volunteered a piece of advice. "You could ask her. She wouldn't get mad at you. Just don't tell her Frankie told'ya." He knew how Jane would react and it would be worse than anything Angela would do to Frankie.

"… maybe…" she whispered after a moment. Maura would have no idea how to bring that up without wondering if she would get hurt all over again. She didn't talk about it. Not to anyone. It was hard not being able to get if off her chest, but unloading on Jane wasn't the way to go. Not this time. Who did you talk to when you couldn't even say anything to your best friend?

Before she could ask Frank, though, the familiar ring tone of 'Don't Panic' by Coldplay filled the room and she reached into her purse to silence the call almost immediately. Nicholas looked up from his place on the floor, a frown on his three-year-old face.

"We have to go?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. Maura just nodded, standing up offering a smile to the elder Rizzoli. Nicholas was quick to get up as well, grabbing his cop car as he made his way over to the medical examiner.

"Thank you for having us," he said before Maura could. Nicholas turned around to look at Frank, offering up the same smile that had captured Jane's heart.

Standing up Frank hollered in to the kitchen, "Angie, Frankie! Come on out here, Maura's gotta leave." Kneeling down on the floor next to Nicholas, Frank handed the boy the battered old cop car. "This used'ta be Jane's but I don't think she'd mind me giving it to you."

Angela came out of the kitchen looking sad. "You really have to go?" she prodded. "Well don't be a stranger, you're welcome any time you want to come over."

Nicholas smiled at Frank, taking the toy with all the car in the world. "Thank you," he whispered softly, holding onto it tightly as he stood beside Maura who was hugging Angela goodbye.

"Thank you. We'll make sure to come by often," she offered with a smile. Nicholas liked it here, and the truth was that she did too. She always had. Making sure she had her purse, Maura offered one last smile before taking her son's hand and leaving the house.


	8. Eight

**Title**: Speaking A Dead Language  
**Author:** WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]  
**Rating:** M**  
****Pairing:** Jane/Maura  
**Status:** 8/?  
**Category/Warnings**: Violence, Angst, Established Relationship  
**Spoilers:** General TV Series spoilers/finale spoilers.  
**Summary:** "I'm sorry Maura, really sorry."  
**A/N:** WE ARE SO FREAKING SORRY! A lot has been going on in both of our lives and we haven't been around to update, but this is the chapter you've all been waiting for ( I think and hope ). A happy late Christmas/New Year to all of our fans and we hope that you don't hate us too much.

Parked in the driveway of Maura's house Jane felt the need for some liquid courage. But the very idea was laughable. Today she was three years sober and the meeting tonight had been an affirmation of that. When her sponsor gave her a new, three-years chip Jane had felt more confidant then she had in months. So she decided to go to ravioli night. But when she called her mom, Angela had told Jane that Maura had left early.

Going to the door Jane knocked lightly. The lights were on and a car was in the driveway, but nobody answered. Though it might be somewhat illegal Jane needed to talk to Maura, so she looked for the hide-a-key. Maura had rented out the house for five years but the hide-a-key was in the same place Jane had helped install it: magnetized to the top of one of the lights bracketing the door because, according to Maura, under the mat was too obvious.

"Maura?" she called out quietly, careful in case Nicholas was asleep. No one was there but Jane heard something that sounded a lot like yelling.

"You're going to wake him up-" Maura's voice wasn't loud, but it drifted out in the hallway, followed by something that sounded way too much like skin hitting skin.

"Does it look like I care, Maura?" the louder voice belonged to Michael, echoing out into the hallway and probably up the stairs to where Nicholas was sleeping.

Even if she had never responded to a domestic dispute call as a uniformed cop Jane would have been able to tell that this wasn't just a heated argument. There had been the sound of a smack and it sure as hell wasn't Maura doing the smacking. Walking slow towards the source of the sound Jane wished she had her gun.

Pausing at the doorway Jane saw a scene that looked eerily familiar: a red faced Michael gripping Maura by the upper arms, getting well in to her personal space.

"Michael- you're hurting me-" Maura struggled, but he was the bigger man in the end. She could fight all she wanted, but it would never amount to anything. It never did. Her left cheek was already stinging from just a moment ago, and as much as his grip hurt, she knew that he could do a lot worse.

"Now, M, don't be that way," he replied, his fingers tightening against her arms. Michael was well aware of what he was doing. He was always in control of these situations. Tugging her closer, a slightly sadistic look appeared in his blue eyes as a look of pain crossed over her features.

"We're going to go upstairs now, and you are going to make it up to me for running off and for not letting me take you to dinner. Any fighting and you know what happens," he stated with a quick glance toward where the staircase was.

Maura knew very well what happened, and she wasn't going to put Nicholas in harms way.

The thinly veiled threat made Jane unfreeze and she rocketed across the space between them to lay her fist heavily against Michael's jaw. A mixture of satisfaction, anger, a little bit of fear and a wave of pain from a couple knuckles flooded Jane's system. "Don't fucking touch her! You ever lay a hand on Maura again and I swear to God I will make the rest of your very short life a living hell," Jane threatened, her voice soft.

But Michael was not going to take that from this uppity bitch cop. Launching himself at her Michael's weight carried both Jane and himself to the ground where they fought for dominance.

Maura didn't even have a chance to react to Jane's sudden appearance before her husband and her friend were on the ground, fighting it out. Worry for Jane kicked in immediately and she tried to grab Michael's arm without thinking of anything else other than Jane's safety.

"Michael- stop!" she stated firmly, raising her voice for the first time the entire night. Instead of complying, he threw his arm back, catching Maura in the face and knocking her down. His attention was back on Jane in an instant as he fought her, aiming a punch for her face.

The two brunettes scuffled on the floor, Jane bringing more skill but Michael having the advantage in weight. She'd taken a few punches to the stomach, ribs and kidneys, as well as what might have been a head butt to the face. Giving as good as she got Jane subdued Michael long enough to use his own tie as makeshift handcuffs. "This is nice," Jane panted, tugging the knot experimentally, "It'll hold 'til a responding unit can get here."

As she stood Jane licked her lip, only to wince. The split lip and busted nose were bleeding freely. She gingerly dabbed at it with the back of her hand, looking around for Maura. "Maura, you okay?"

"I'm fine," she responded after a moment, her eyes locked on Michael. The medical examiner was resting on the floor against the wall as far away from the fighting as she could get. Her lip was busted and a bruise was starting to form on her right cheek, not to mention the finger shaped bruises appearing slowly on her arms. All in all, she looked anything but fine.

Jane leaned heavily against the wall, using its solid presence to brace herself. "Sorry. I should have controlled myself. I should have just called for backup but when I saw…." A wave of bile rose in Jane's throat and her first instinct was to go over and kick him, even if he was down. But instead Jane acted proactively and pulled out her cell, which hadn't been damaged in the tussle.

Rattling off her badge number to the dispatch operator Jane asked for a police car and an ambulance. Looking at Maura changed Jane's mind. "Scratch the unit, just the bus." Hanging up Jane hit the speed dial for Frost. "I need you to come to Maura's house and bring cuffs, and beat the ambulance."

Maura kept her head down, not really caring to hear the conversation. She knew what was being said anyways. Her back hurt from hitting the floor, but it was all just superficial damage. Michael wasn't unconscious, and the fact that he was aware of everything left her feeling more on edge than she had moments ago.

"Maura…?"

Jerking her head up, the medical examiner paused when she noticed Nicholas standing in the doorway, clutching the cop car that he had received from the Rizzoli's household just earlier that evening.

"I'm fine," she stated again, motioning for him to walk around to her. Nicholas only hesitated for a moment, taking the long way around to avoid getting anywhere near Michael. He barely glanced at Jane, knowing that she was there, but his focus was on the blonde sitting on the floor.

She pulled him into her arms when he was close, holding him while he stood in front of her.

The stream of curses from Michael's mouth, which had stopped in order to eavesdrop on Jane's phone conversation, started again when Nicholas came in to the room. When a glare didn't cause Michael to shut up a grim faced Jane knelt beside him. "If you don't shut your mouth you'll be eating through a straw for months." Spotting a discarded newspaper Jane tore off a sheet and stuffed it in to Michael's mouth. "You should be able to breath."

"You two alright?" Jane asked, her voice changing from the threatening tone she used with Michael to a much softer, almost nervous, tone.

"Maura's not," Nicholas supplied, holding tightly to the cop car with one hand while the other was pressed gently against her bruising cheek. Maura didn't pull away from the touch, even if it stung just a little. Instead, she clutched the little boy tighter and stared at Michael.

"It's okay… we're okay," she whispered after a moment, squeezing Nicholas so tight that it might've hurt anyone else, but he just pressed himself closer to her body, watching Jane watch them.

Walking away from Michael, who was still cursing from behind the newspaper, Jane slumped against the wall near Nicholas and Maura. "We will be okay," Jane promised both the little boy and her…friend. She tried to smile reassuringly but it simply split open her lip again, causing Jane to stifle a groan.

Five and a half minutes later Frost ran in, gun drawn. "Put that away," Jane instructed. "Get him cuffed and get him out of here. I don't care what for but make sure he spends the night in lockup, with the least pleasant cellmate you can find. If you need a statement you can get it later, we'll be at the hospital." Jane was crisp and she glared at the bound man even as they heard the sirens approach.

Frost spared a glance at Maura, but didn't approach. He knew better. Instead, he pulled Michael to his feet, cuffing the man and jerking him around as hard as he could. He even managed to make the bigger man run into a few things on their way out of the house. Nicholas watched as his father was taken away without a word. He waited until he was certain that Michael was gone before be turned to look at Jane.

"Thank you," he whispered softly, offering her the best smile that he could give. Maura glanced up at the detective, but she quickly looked away again, gathering herself to face the ambulance and the trip to the hospital.

Six stitches, a chest x-ray, a hand x-ray and a painful restructuring of her nose, Jane was finally free of the doctors. While being fitted for a splint for a sprained wrist and having her lip stitched Jane told her version of the events to a uniformed officer. Scanning the ER Jane immediately found Frost performing the dual role of babysitter and detective with Nicholas. Looking harder she found Maura.

Sitting carefully next to the blonde Jane looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, painkillers making her lips somewhat spastic and the tugging of stitches in her skin highly uncomfortable. But still she soldiered on. "I shouldn't have gotten in to your business, it isn't my place. I blew a whole lot of shit out into the open. And I screwed stuff up for you. And Nicholas." She probably looked like a Frankenstein creation and her mouth wasn't exactly working but she had to say it.

"I'm sorry Maura, really sorry."

"You did what you thought was right, Jane… there's no reason to apologize for that," Maura whispered after a moment. She still couldn't make herself look at Jane though. Coming to Boston had been her way of escaping from Michael, if only for a little while.

If only to keep Nicholas safe.

"… what made you change your mind, Jane? What changed you?" she asked after a moment. She was doing everything she could to avoid thinking of what had happened. She was doing everything that she could to just be herself for a moment longer before she broke down or before she lost what was left. All she wanted was a moment.

"Who am I to say what's right? I made that decision on a purely emotional level, when I should have acted like I've been trained to." The effect of the painkillers made her somewhat morose.

"What do you mean, M….Maura?" Jane asked, stopping herself from using the nickname that sounded sullied ever since hearing it from that bastard. She had an idea what Maura was asking. Later she could blame it on painkillers but Jane wanted Maura to know. "I wasn't sure if I was pissed or depressed when you left, so I decided not to be either one and just drink more. I was drunk for a week before the guys confronted me."

She hadn't been able to express in any number of words how much she was grateful to all of them but they knew. "Korsak threatened to go to the Brass if I didn't cut it out, I know now that he was bluffing but I didn't then. So I went to the meeting convinced that I had ruined my life but the other stories were sobering, I may have fucked up but I wasn't unredeemable. So I changed."

"… I'm glad that you saved yourself." Maura whispered after a moment. She finally looked over at Jane, taking in how battered and bruised she was. Taking in the emotions in her eyes… and she smiled just a little. She smiled, because underneath it all was the Jane who had been her best friend and the woman she admired and not the drunk who had scared her more than she would ever admit.

"There was no other option." Even if she hadn't wanted to change the stories might have scared her in to it. A barely legal frat boy, the only reason he wasn't in a fatal accident was because his friends left him passed out behind the bar. Or her sponsor who hadn't made the change until waiting in a hospital bed for a new liver. Even worse was listening to Alanon members, friends and family, or Alateen for the children of alcoholics.

Even though she had three years under her belt didn't mean Jane hadn't fallen off the wagon. One of those times had been when Hoyt was almost paroled. But she went to meetings, lived by the slogans. She wasn't going to slip up again.

Maura just nodded, pausing when she noticed the familiar doctors coming over to them. Excusing herself, she left Jane sitting by herself as she went across the room to Nicholas, finding another way to distract herself. Frost waited for a moment before leaving Maura with the little boy, arriving at Jane's side right as the doctors stopped in front of them.

"Detective Rizzoli?" one of them asked, glancing at his clipboard before looking back at them.

Jane watched Maura get up and walk over to Nicholas feeling very confused. She'd spilled her guts, metaphorically, and blood, literally, only to have Maura get up and walk away. Frost nudged her gently and indicated the doctors. "I don't need any more damn doctors, I'm fine," Jane grumbled, not thinking straight tonight.

"They aren't your doctors," Frost told her.

"You two are the detectives on the case of Maura Casbrook, correct?" the female doctor asked, glancing over at the woman in question who was entertaining Nicholas. Frost nodded his head, also looking over at Maura for a moment before he turned his attention back to the doctors.

"We are." he confirmed verbally, trying to make himself relax.

"I'm Dr. Maddison, and that is Dr. Turner," the male doctor introduced the both of them quickly, pausing only a moment before he dived into the heart of the matter.

"It seems that Mrs. Casbrook has suffered from a numerous amount of different injuries in the last few years."

A bubble of rage popped and fizzled in Jane's stomach. For three months they had called Maura 'Dr. Isles' like they always used to. Maura hadn't volunteered her last name and they hadn't asked. But to think of her name linked with the ass that she had beaten up made Jane seethe with fury. She wanted to hurt him again; for every injury he'd ever given Maura, and then some.

Frost saw the murderous look in his partner's eyes and took the lead. "How many? To what extent?" He knew the questions to ask through years of training, even though it was impossible for Frost to detach himself from the case emotionally. But he was doing better than Jane.

This time it was Dr. Turner that spoke up, glancing over at the silent detective before turning back to Frost. "She's been to the hospital over fifteen times in the last two years. Some were small things like lacerations and bruises, others were more major like broken ribs and sprains."

Gripping the back of the chair Jane could almost hear the tendons in her hand straining. She didn't even feel the sharp jabs of pain from her sprained wrist but felt phantom fingers wrapping themselves around Michael Cabrook's neck and squeezing, tightly. They had suspected it but to have witnessed it with her own eyes and the doctors' reports on top of that made Jane wish she'd killed the bastard instead of letting Frost take him away.

"Were there police reports filed?" Frost asked the questions, not trusting Jane's judgment to be unclouded while under the influence of pain medication and a typhoon of emotions.

Glancing over at Maura again, Dr. Turner shook her head. "None were ever filed. There is evidence of other injuries that were never treated at a hospital as well. The pattern seems to have started a little over three years ago. At least, that's when the first hospital visit occurred."

"All she has right now are a few bruises and a busted lip that we took care of," Dr. Maddison concluded, keeping his eyes on Frost.

Jane couldn't handle hearing more of this. "I need some fresh air." Without another word Jane left the ER. She waited in the ambulance bay, the cold air stoked her fire instead of acting as a shock to her system and bringing her back down again. Slamming a fist in to the wall her hand screamed in pain but Jane didn't care. The storm of emotions spiraled back to one point: if she hadn't scared Maura away none of this would have happened. Slogans and sobriety be damned, all Jane wanted to do in this moment was drink herself in to oblivion.

Touching the chip in her pocket Jane's back hit the wall and she slid down it. When her emotions finally short circuited Jane started crying in to the knees of her jeans.

In the ER Frost watched his partner go; he was torn between following her, doing his job and keeping an eye on Maura. "Is there anything else?"

Both doctors shook their heads this time, handing Frost a copy of the medical reports before they left. Maura watched them leave before turning to look at the doors that Jane had stormed out of just seconds before. She wanted to go after her, but something was still holding her back from the brunette. Something she couldn't put a finger on no matter how hard she tried. Instead, she let go of Nicholas and watched as he all but ran past Frost to get outside.

Maura had to look away before catching the detective's eye.

"You're crying," Nicholas pointed out, stopping in front of Jane. It was cold, but he had his jacket on and his boots. He waited a moment before digging around in his jacket pocket, pulling out something and holding it toward the detective. "Maura always gives this to me when I cry and she tells me a story, but I don't remember them very well."

Opening his gloved hand, he revealed his treasure. Jane's BPD collar tab from her uniform days.

Jane composed herself as best she could, scrubbing away at evidence of tears with the hand not in a splint. "I'm alright, how 'bout you?" What right did she have to break down? Sure she was hurt but she'd gotten much worse on the job. Maura was the one who had lived through that for years. And so had Nicholas. Maybe Michael hadn't laid a hand on Nicholas, Jane wouldn't need another reason to want to beat the man to a pulp, but there was definitely emotional abuse there.

Seeing the little sparkle in the palm of Nicholas' hand almost made Jane start crying again. She gave that collar tab to Maura after waking up in the hospital, after shooting herself. She'd sent Frankie to rummage through her apartment and find it. She'd given it to a scared Maura and, under the influence of drugs, had said some trite words about always being there for her and that they could make it through anything. "I gave this to her, a long time ago," Jane muttered, picking up the little piece of metal. "If you remember what she told you, I can fill in the blanks."

Nicholas shifted, moving to sit by Jane and burrow into her side. He looked at the small metal piece that he had carried around every time he felt scared or sad. For a moment he was silent as he tried to remember what Maura had told him, but only bits and pieces would come back to him. "Maura told me that a very brave person gave her that after they did something really stupid to save the people they loved… the first time she gave me that was after Dad came into my room one night."

Trailing off at the end, he took a deep breath and focused on the collar tab. "Maura didn't let him hit me though. She never did."

She was beyond relieved to hear that the jackass had never laid a finger on Nicholas. She almost expected it from Maura, any other reaction and she wouldn't have been Maura. "She would call it stupid," Jane attempted a light hearted tone for Nicholas' sake. "I guess it was pretty stupid. But someone wanted to hurt Maura and Frankie, so I let myself get hurt to protect them. Afterwards I told her that 'I'm a good man in the storm and I protect the things that I love.' Seems like she took that to heart."

Placing the tab back in to Nicholas' hand Jane stood up, taking Nicholas in to her arms. "Why don't you keep that for me? Maybe it'll make you not scared or feel braver. But let's get you inside before we freeze." Settling Nicholas on her hip Jane headed back in to the ER, not sure what was coming but a little more prepared to handle it.


End file.
